Speculum



Sept. 27, 1960 SPECULUM H. R. GRIESHABER Filed Sept. 4, 1956 INVENTOR.

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SPECULUM;

Herman R. Grieshaber, `45011 Armitage Ave., Chicago 29,111.

Filessepf. 4, 1956, ser. No. 607,682

s claims. (C1. 12s-17) Thisinvention relates to surgical instruments and more particularlyV to, yal1-improved speculum for use in the examination-of certain passages of the body.

Previous specula have heretofore been proposed which', because-of their complex-design, are beset .with numerousshortcomings; for example, they are difli'cult to manipulatepermit only limitedvisual inspection ofthe body passage and utilize a, plurality of parts which are oftentimesdiicultto properly clean. Y

Thus, it is, one ofthe objects of this invention to providea speoulum which isvoid ofthe aforementioned shortcomings and is of a simple, inexpensive, yet sturdy construction.

It isa. further object` of this invention to provide aspeculum ywhich has lthe various parts thereof in such tnt-.relative position as to permit greater freedom of manipulation of the instrument by the doctor, subseqllentto.l the instrument beingdisposed in the body passage...A

OtherV objects mayL be seen anda fuller understanding, ofthe invention may be had by referring to the-following description and claims taken in`conjunction with the. accompanying drawings.

Inaccordance with one embodiment., of7 thisn invention, aspeculum is provided which comprises two op,- positely disposed blades, one of which isrelatively xed and. the otherof which is pivotally connected thereto for relative movement to open and closed positions; Lever means is provided on said relatively movable blade to facilitate adjustment thereof. Cooperating7 with said lever means isan adjustable locking unit for retaining; said blades .in relatively fixed positions of adjustment. The relatively-fixed ,blade has extending, at an obtuse Vangle from vthe end thereof, to which the other blade Visl pivotallyconnected, a handle to facilitate manipulation `of the4 instrument. Y

For. a more complete understanding of this invention, reference should be made to the accomp-anying drawings'in which: l

Figure l isa top plan 4view of applicants improved speculum;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of applicants improved speculum showing, in dotted lines, theV movable blade inV adjustedl position;

Fig. 3 is an end elevational view of Vapplicants improved speculum; and Y Fig.A 4-is a partial side elevational view of applicants improvedspeculum, showing the modified handle portion of the fixed blade member.

Referring now to the drawings, applicants improved speoulum 9 `is shown which is composed, in this instance, of but three basic parts: a -ixed blade member 10,a movable second blade member Ztl, pivotally conneoted thereto, and an adjustable lockin'grassemblyV 3i) cooperating with both blade members to retain the second` blademember in relatively xed, positions of adjustment.

like portion 1.1,` vwhichisa'daptedto be inserted into 'the body passage, a handl'e'portionl integrally connected to Ithe exposed end 11a' of! portion 11J an'dextending` obtusely therefrominA a downward direction, anda' bifurcated portion`17,l protruding angularly upwardly from the juncture of portions Irland 16`. Fixed'blade member 10 preferably has a convex polished'outer` surface and a roundedior spoon-shaped forward end '11b to facili# tate insertion4 of the blade portion 11 into the body pasfurcated portion 17. Blade portion 11a, lugs 18,' and The fixed blade lmember l0 includes an elongated billthe'exposed end 21a oflmovable blade Vportion A2.1 form an enlarged unobstructed openingtsee Fig. 3) whichenables the doctor to readily observe thebody passage,l as well 'aspermit itherinstruments to be passed through said opening. The handle1 portion 16 is arcuate in 'crosssection and providesa trough-which communicates with the trough formed in blade portion I11, to facilitate drainage of fluid from the'body passage when the speculurnv is disposed in. the body passage. As heretofore mentioned, handle portionv 156`- isdisposed yrelative to blade portion 11 at an'obtuse 'angle which is considerably more than The extremity offthe handle portionf iscurved forwardly formingl a finger loop 19y which facilitates manipulation of the instrument. Handle portion 16 (shown in Fig. 2) has a center portion which is 'subst-antiall'ylinear insilhouette; In Fig. 4, however, a modified handleportion 16' is shown,4 wherein the centerportion thereof :isbowed',` so that the end 19" is spaced further` from thev round forward end 11b' of bladeV portion 11.

The movable or second-"blade member 20in'cludes a bill-like portion Z1 and a finger lever portion 27 'integral with' the exposed end`21a of portion' 21. The-pivotal blade membere Zlpreferably has a convex polishedouter surface'and a forward-'end 2lb which is substantially an"'invertedspoonshapm Blade portions 11 and 21 aresimil-arly shaped andcooperate with one another to effect dilatin'gof thefbody passage. The rear or exquired which would tendto obstruct observation through f the opening between the blade portions.

Finger leverf2i7 (asshown in Fig. 3) is integral with extremity 25 and extends rst angularly outwardly and then*downwardly.`v The exposed surface of the downwardly extendingportion 27aV of the lever 27 is roughened to' facilitatemanipulation of the lever (without slipping) Iby ltheiinger of the doctor.

The adjustable locking assembly 30 includes a spindle.

31, on which is threadably mountedV a nut 32. One end 35 of spindle 3,1 is ilattenedv and provided with an elongated slotV or eye 36, which'is adapted to accommodate a stub 37 protruding outwardly from the adjacent lug 18 of bifurcated portion 17 and permit the spindle 31 to pivot threabou't.y Spindle 31 projects'through anopening` 38 formed in lever portion 27a. The nut 32 threadably engages the free end of spindle`31 and contacts the exposed surface of leverJ portion-27a-due tothe unbalanced Patented sept. -27', 196eA mounting of blade member 20. The relative position of nut 32 on spindle 31 determines the extent to which the forward or inserted ends 11b andp21b of the blade portions 11 and 21 are spread relative to one another. A stop 33 is afiixed to the free end of spindle 31 to prevent accidental separation of the spindle and nut.

In utilizing the improved speculum 9, the blade portions 11 and 21 thereof are initially inserted into the body cavity or passage while the blade portions are in the relative position shown in full lines in Fig. 2. Subsequent to inserting the forward ends of the blade portions 11 and 21 into the body passage, the doctor depresses lever portion 27a with his finger, causing blade portion 21 to be moved away from blade portion lll. The nut 32 is then drawn up tight against the lever so as to retain blade member 20 in its open position. The angular disposition of handle portion 16 or 16' is such that the doctor may readily manipulate the speculum while it is in the body passage and, thus, facilitate his examination of the passage.

Thus, from the foregoing it may be seen that an improved speculum has been provided which is of simplified construction and reduces materially the number of parts required in prior specula for their efiicient operation. The elimination of these parts permits the speculum to be more easily cleaned and maintained in a surgically sterile condition. In addition, the relatively fewparts permit the speculum to be manufactured at a minimum cost without impairing effective operation of the instrument. The enlarged exposed end of the improved speculum affords a wide unobstructed area of vision of the body passage when the speculum is disposed within such passage and permits the use of other instruments in combination therewith.

Although I have described my invention with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure has been made only by way of example and that numerous changes in the details of construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

I claim:

l. In a speculum having two oppositely disposed blades, one of said blades being relatively fixed and the second blade adapted to be pivotally opened and closed with respect to the fixedblade, a lever means for permitting the blades to be opened, and an adjustable locking means for retaining the blades in various positions of pivotal adjustment; the improvement comprising a handle portion integral with the fixed blade and extending outwardly and rearwardly from the fixed blade at an obtuse angle, and a bifurcated portion integral with the fixed blade and handle portion and disposed toward the second blade at an obtuse angle from the handle portion, said second blade being operatively and pivotally connected to the extremities of said bifurcated portion, said lever means including an apertured finger-engaging portion integral with the second blade and extending outwardly and rearwardly from one side of said second blade at an obtuse angle, said adjustable locking means including a removable spindle pivotally connected at one end to one side of the bifurcated portion of said fixed blade and extending through an aperture in said finger-engaging portion, and an element threadably connected to the free lend of said spindle and contacting said fingerengaging portion to retain said movable blades in various positions of pivotal adjustment.

2. ln speculum having two oppositely disposed blades, one of blades being relatively fixed and the second blade being relatively movable and adapted to be pivotally opened and closed with respect to the` fixed blade, a lever for permitting the blades to be opened, and an adjustable locking means for locking the blades open in the desired position; the improvement comprising a substantially channel-shaped handle portion integral with the fixed blade and extending outwardly therefrom at an obtuse angle, and an arcuate-shaped bifurcated portion integral with the fixed blade and handle portion and Idisposed toward the second blade at an obtuse angle from both the handle portion and the blade portion of the fixed blade, said second blade having its rear portion distended and furcellated and pivotally connected to the bifurcated portion of the fixed blade, said lever means including an apertured finger-engaging flange portion which is integral with the second blade and extends outwardly and rearwardly from one side of the second blade at an obtuse angle, said adjustable locking means including a spindle removably connected at one end to one side of the bifurcated portion of the fixed blade and projecting through an aperture in said flange portion, and a nut threadably engaging the free end portion of said spindle and contacting said fiange portion to retain said second blade in various positions of pivotal adjustment.

3. In a speculum having two oppositely disposed blades, one of said blades being relatively fixed and the second blade adapted to be pivotally opened and closed with respect to the fixed blade, a lever means for permitting the blades to be opened, and an adjustable locking means for retaining the blades in various positions of pivotal adjustment; the improvement comprising a handle portion integral with the fixed blade and extending outwardly and rearwardly from the fixed blade at an obtuse angle, and a bifurcated portion integral with the fixed blade and handle portion and disposed toward the second blade at an obtuse angle from the handle portion, said second blade being operatively and pivotally connected to the extremities of said bifurcated portion, said lever means including a finger-engaging portion integral with the second blade and extending outwardly and rearwardly from one side thereof at an obtuse angle, said adjustable locking means including an element selectively engageable -with said lever means to retain the second blade in various positions of pivotal adjustment.

4. In a speculum having two oppositely disposed blades, one of said blades being relatively fixed and the second blade adapted to be pivotally opened and closed with respect to the fixed blade, a lever means for permitting the blades to be opened, and an adjustable locking means for retaining the blades in various positions of pivotal adjustment; the improvement comprising a handle portion integral with the fixed blade and extending outwardly and rearwardly from the fixed blade at an obtuse angle, and a bifurcated portion integral with the fixed blade and handle portion and disposed toward the second blade at an obtuse angle from both the handle portion and the fixed blade, said second blade being operatively and pivotally connected to the extremities of said bifurcated portion, said lever means including a finger-engaging portion integral with the second blade and extending rearwardly from one side thereof at an obtuse angle, said adjustable locking means including an elongated element one end of which is operatively connected to one side of the bifurcated portion of the fixed blade, and means carried by said element for engaging said lever to thereby retain said movable blade in various positions of pivotal adjustment.

5. In a speculum having two oppositely disposed blades, one of said blades being relatively fixed and the second blade adapted to be pivotally opened and closed with .respect to the fixed blade, a lever means for permitting the blades to be opened, and an adjustable locking means for retaining the blades in various positions of pivotal adjustment; the improvement comprising a handle portion integral with the fixed blade and extending outwardly and rearwardly from the fixed blade at an obtuse angle, and a bifurcated portion integral with the fixed blade and handle portion and disposed toward the second blade at an obtuse angle from both the handle portion and the fixed blade, said second blade being operatively and pivotally connected to the extremities of said bifurcated including an elongated element operatively connected -to 5 one side of the bifurcated portion of the fixed blade and extending through the aperture in said lever and means carried by said element for engaging said lever to thereby retain said movable blade in various positions of pivotal adjustment.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Caps Mar. 7, 1882 McCully et al June 17, 1890 y Venning July 30, 1901 Newman Dec. 25, 1951 Jones Mar. 23, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain July 24, 1865 

